IPL auction: Mitchell Starc becomes most expensive player at Indian Premier League

24.75 crore Indian rupees (£2.3m)

Two Australian cricket players who recently won the World Cup have secured lucrative deals for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Mitchell Starc broke the record for the most expensive purchase in IPL auction history, receiving an astonishing 24.75 crore payday. Kolkata Knight Riders won the bidding process against Gujarat Titans to secure his services after Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals dropped out of the bidding war once the amount surpassed 10 crore.

Just an hour earlier, Australian teammate Pat Cummins had set the all-time purchase record for the IPL, with Sunrisers Hyderabad securing him for 20.5 crore, surpassing Sam Curran as the most expensive IPL buy of all time. He joins World Cup final hero Travis Head and is coached by Aussie assistant Daniel Vettori. The Sunrisers edged out the Super Kings to secure Head's services for 6.8 crore.

Starc is returning to the IPL for the first time since 2015, after previously being picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2014 auction and playing two seasons with that club. He missed the 2016 tournament due to injury, chose not to enter the 2017 auction, and missed out again in 2018 due to an injury that sparked a legal battle with an insurance firm. He skipped the 2019 tournament and again chose not to participate in 2020 despite attracting interest from several franchises. However, he will finally be joining the Knight Riders in the upcoming season. Cummins will be playing for Hyderabad.